Some aspects of business center plan are moving at a slow pace

Friday

Jan 24, 2014 at 9:30 PM

Few people attempt to make their literal dreams a reality, but that’s exactly what Jeremy Gump is trying to accomplish.

By Justin Wrightjwright@sturgisjournal.com

One night, Inquire Partners founder Jeremy Gump awoke at 3:30 a.m. with a sudden realization: He could buy both sides of an entire downtown city street and turn it into a business center full of commerce. Few people attempt to make their literal dreams a reality, but that’s exactly what Gump is trying to accomplish.In early 2013, Gump purchased several buildings around John Street in downtown Sturgis with the intention of tearing them down and building the business center. Since then, the buildings have successfully gone down, but a date for breaking ground at the new development is a date Gump has not been able to set. The initial goal was to do it this month, Gump said.“At this point though we’ll just break ground when we need to break ground,” he said.Gump said every required approval at the local level is in place, but the wait continues for a brownfield tax credit from the state of Michigan.A “brownfield,” defined by Environmental Law Institute, is an industrial or commercial property that remains abandoned or underutilized in part because of environmental contamination or the fear of such contamination.Gump was told the earliest he could get that credit is mid-March, but it would probably come even later than that.Because Gump lacks all state approvals, he is not allowed to market his project to prospective tenants. Gump said that has limited his ability to find tenants and has become a vicious cycle.“The state wants to see that it’s a viable project before I’m allowed to advertise, but I need tenants to show them that it’s a viable project. I’m trying to negotiate with tenants, but it’s hard without being able to advertise,” Gump said.The building itself is proposed as a 40,000-square-foot structure with two floors to accommodate a variety of business.The second story is intended for professional service firms such as lawyers, doctors and dentists, as well as Gump’s business, Inquire Partners. The company deals with human resource consulting and business consulting for clients throughout the country.Gump has been in discussion with a franchise restaurant as a first-floor business, but nothing is close to being finalized. He said he would like to bring retail tenants to the building, specifically a food co-op or men’s clothing store. “The goal is to buy everything else on the block and turn it into a commercial center,” Gump said.For now, Gump continues to search for businesses that want a spot in the building without the ability to advertise his project. Gump is a Sturgis High School alumnus. He has worked as a consultant for Ernst & Young and a corporate executive for Mercedes-Benz.

Follow Justin Wright on Twitter, @jwrightSJ.

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